THE FORMULA for deciding the make-up of the new 10-team Premiership leaves Pontypool needing several of their rivals to fail to make the grade, writes Chris Kirwan.

The Welsh Rugby Union’s plan to cut the top flight by four teams has been approved for the 2012/13 campaign. The chosen ten, who will have to be registered as limited companies, will come from those in next season’s Premiership with the final deciding factor a system whereby points are awarded for league placings over the past six seasons.

Twenty points are awarded for finishing top with 19 for second, 18 for third all the way down to seven for being bottom and six for winning Division One.

That leaves Pooler, who suffered relegation in 2006, spent two years in Division One East and narrowly avoided the drop back down from the Premier-ship in 2009 and 2010, trailing many of their competitors. However, there is some hope as the meritocracy formula is the last piece in the jigsaw.

By then ten teams must have secured an A licence AND signed a participation agreement.

That agreement, directly with the Union rather than a region, will see clubs commit to developing players for regional rugby and using the WRU’s commercial partners.

The regions will allocate players to certain clubs before the start of the season while it will be encouraged to make Premiership squad members not picked for match day available for clubs in the second tier.

But the first step for Pooler is their bid to secure an A licence, which ten of the 14 already have. They did not apply for one last season, as the changes for the top flight had not been mooted, and the biggest obstacle is the requirement for all spectator facilities to be permanently enclosed.

Pooler intend to argue that it is only the terrace that can be accessed from the rest of the council-owned Pontypool Park and that they can ensure that area is fenced off on match days.

“Our discussions with the WRU about the A licence have been encouraging and they have been very helpful in terms of helping us get through the appeal process and refining our approach,” said owner Pooler owner Frank Stanton.

Bedwas, Carmarthen Quins and Bridgend are also bidding for an A licence and the Union are also going to be rigorous in their audit of facilities and will ensure that any planned structural work is genuine and with the relevant planning permission.

Meanwhile, Pooler held their end-of-season awards dinner last week.

Centre Dan Robinson was named as player of the season, Dan Barlow was most promising newcomer and his fellow prop Nicky Blake won the supporters’ player of the year and an award from club sponsors Medinet.

Geraint O’Driscoll was recognised for finishing as top points scorer on 222 while hooker Craig Attwell won the vote for try of the season.